COLLEGE PARK, Md.— Saturday's matchup will be a battle of the unbeaten as Cornell travels to defending National Champion, top-ranked Maryland. Coming off a win over Binghamton that gave the Big Red its best start to a season in program history, Cornell will face arguably its toughest test of the season against the Terrapins.
 
GAME 9: Cornell Big Red at No. 1/1 Maryland Terrapins
WHEN: April 2, 2016 — 7 p.m.
WHERE: Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex
2016 RECORDS: Cornell 8-0 (3-0 Ivy), Maryland 9-0 (1-0 Big Ten)
LIVE STATS: UMTerps.com
LIVE VIDEO ($): BTN Plus

GAME NOTES
Cornell

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell's win over Binghamton was its eighth-straight, topping the 1987 squad's 7-0 start. The Big Red's success has largely been the result of a balanced offense and a stingy defense. Senior Olivia Mattyasovszky leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and shares the points lead with classmate Emily Tripodi (4-14–18), but a total of 16 players have recorded points thus far. Junior Catie Smith has led Cornell's second-ranked scoring defense, and junior Renee Poullott has been the team's primary goalkeeper, posting a 5.43 goals-against average and a .512 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD...

• Mark the second time Cornell defeated the reigning National Champion (5/12/02 vs. Maryland, W 14-4)
• Give Cornell a 2-0 record against Maryland all-time
• Halt the Terps' 13-game unbeaten streak dating back to last May
• Snap Maryland's 46-game win streak in College Park
• Match Cornell's win total from last season

ABOUT NO. 1 MARYLAND
The top-ranked team in the country and the reigning National Champion, Maryland has cruised to a 9-0 record to open the season, remaining one of just three unbeaten teams in Division I alongside Cornell and Southern California. The Terrapins have won their last 46 games in College Park dating back to 2012 and are 100-2 at home under current head coach Cathy Reese. Maryland's scoring offense, averaging a whopping 15.56 goals per game, is ranked third in the country, led by the tandem of Taylor Cummings and Megan Whittle. Cummings leads the team in nearly every statistical category, including points (33), ground balls (28), draw controls (48) and caused turnovers (26), while Whittle is the team's leading scorer with 31 goals. The Terps have been dominant, winning by an average of 9.12 goals per game and putting up an impressive 14-4 rout of No. 2 Florida and a 14-9 victory over then-third-ranked Syracuse. Maryland's only win by fewer than fewer than four goals was its narrow 8-7 defeat of then-No. 5/4 North Carolina. Megan Taylor has shouldered most of the work in net, posting a 5.72 goals-against average and even .500 save percentage.

THE SERIES VS. MARYLAND
The Big Red and the Terrapins have met just once before, but it was certainly a memorable outing. In a high-stakes game, Cornell routed Maryland, 14-4, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament on May 12, 2002, earning the Big Red its 11th straight win and its first trip to the NCAA Semifinals and denying Maryland a shot at its eighth consecutive National Championship. The Big Red was led by Jaimee Reynolds, who put up half of Cornell's goals that day, breaking the single-season points record with 72 and becoming the first in program history to surpass 200 career points.

EIGHT IS GREAT
With eight seniors leading the way, Cornell improved to 8-0 with a win over Binghamton, the best start to a season in program history, surpassing the 1987 squad's 7-0 mark.
 
100 CLUB
After setting a new school record for assists in the 9-8 win over Colgate, senior co-captain Emily Tripodi reached another milestone, posting her 100th career helper in a 10-2 win over Brown on March 26.

KEEP OUT
As of March 31, through the Big Red's first eight games, Cornell ranked second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 5.38 goals per game. Junior goalkeeper Renee Poullott also ranked second nationally in goals-against average at 5.43.
 
BALANCED OFFENSE
Sixteen different players have contributed on the scoresheet for the Big Red through the first seven games, with 12 players posting multiple points. Each of Cornell's first eight games have seen at least five different players score for the Big Red, with the team getting goals from  at least eight different scorers on five of those occasions.
 
ELITE COMPANY
With an 8-0 record to begin the season, Cornell is is one of just three remaining unbeaten Division I teams and is the only undefeated team that is also unranked. No. 1/1 Maryland and No. 7/7 Southern California are the nation's only other teams without a loss.
 
HOT STREAKS
*Senior Emily Tripodi has a point in seven straight games (4-14–18).
*Sophomore Taylor Reed has recorded a point in each of her last seven games (9-8–17).
*Junior Catherine Ellis is on a six-game point streak (8-4–12).
*Junior Kristy Gilbert has at least one goal in each of her last six games (7-3–10).
*Senior Olivia Mattyasovszky has scored in each of her last five games (14-0–14).
 
MATTYASOVSZKY MAKING HER MARK
Senior attacker Olivia Mattyasovszky has proven to be an offensive force so far this season, scoring 17 goals in eight games, including a five-goal outing in a win over Columbia. She has posted multiple goals five times this season. She set new career highs in goals and points just six games in, topping her 10 goals and 11 points last season.
 
SMITH GETS STINGY
Junior defender Catie Smith has been an integral cog in the Big Red's defensive success thus far this season, with team highs in ground balls (25) and caused turnovers (21). She posted a career-high six ground balls in the win over Yale and set a new career mark of six caused turnovers in the victory at Binghamton.
 
REED ALL ABOUT IT
Sophomore Taylor Reed has been a powerhouse on both sides of the ball so far this season. Her 17 points are a career-high, she's already nearly tripled her assist total from last season and her nine goals tie her career mark. In addition to her offensive prowess, she's picked up a career-high 11 draw controls, caused three turnovers and scooped up 15 ground balls.
 
IVY WEEKLY HONORS
*Junior goaltender Renee Poullott was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 29 after helping Cornell hold then-No. 19 Albany to just five goals in a 9-5 victory on Feb. 27. Poullott made eight saves and posted a .615 save percentage in the win, while also tying a career-high with five ground balls and causing a turnover.
*Junior defender Catie Smith was recognized as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on March 14. Smith caused a career-high five turnovers in a 9-8 win at Colgate and picked up five ground balls. She added four more ground balls and another caused turnover in the 14-7 win over Columbia.
 
FRESH FACES
Cornell has added eight newcomers to the roster for the 2016 season. Tomasina Leska and Sarah Phillips join the Big Red attack, while Hannah O'Reilly, Shannon Bertscha and Christie Raymond will add to the team's depth at midfield. Natalie Paletta and Sarah Nicholson join the team's defense, and Samantha Nielsen will be an option in goal. The Class of 2019 features three high school All-Americans (Leska, Nielsen, Raymond) and two who were invited to try out for the U.S. Women's U19 National Team (Leska, Raymond).
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior attacker/midfielder Amie Dickson has been named an honorable mention Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. Dickson was named First-Team All-Ivy at the conclusion of the 2015 season after leading the Ivy League with 59 points and 31 assists.
 
FORMIDABLE FOES
This season, the Big Red will face off against five opponents currently ranked in the national polls: No. 1/1 Maryland, No. 4/6 Syracuse, No. 9/9 Penn State and Ivy rivals No. 13/11 Princeton and No. 16/14 Penn. The Big Red visits reigning National Champion Maryland on April 2, travels to Penn State on April 13, plays at Princeton on April 16, hosts Syracuse on April 19 and closes the regular season with a home matchup against Penn on April 30.
 
FAMILY TIES
Freshmen Natalie Paletta and Sarah Phillips both have ties to the Cornell Athletics Department. Natalie's father, Steve Paletta, was a men's lacrosse Second-Team All-American, captained the Big Red to a national runner-up finish in 1987 and was named First-Team All-Ivy. Natalie's mother, Christine, was a member of the Cornell gymnastics team from 1986-88. Sarah's father, Andy Phillips, and uncle, J.D. Phillips, were teammates of Steve Paletta's. Sarah's grandfather, John Phillips, also played lacrosse at Cornell.
 
MEET THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Emily Tripodi and Brittany Marriott have been chosen to be co-captains for the 2016 season. Marriott will be serving as a captain for the second consecutive season after she was chosen to lead the team as a junior with Lindsay Toppe.
 
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
A team-high 11 players from the Big Red hail from right here in New York State. Cornell has commonly brought in most of its players from the Northeast with a particular focus on New York, which is both the home of Cornell and one of the country's biggest hotbeds of lacrosse.
 
RECORDS WATCH
*Senior co-captain Emily Tripodi is the new program record holder for career assists, recording two in a 9-8 win over Colgate on March 9 to better Courtney Farrell's record of 91 set in 2008.
*Junior Amie Dickson is just three assists away from cracking the all-time top 10. Dickson currently sits in 12th with 37 assists, one assist away from tying for 11th.
*Tripodi is now in sole possession of10th all-time with 140 career points.
*With the win over California, junior goaltender Renee Poullott moved into sole possession of third all-time. Two more victories will tied her for second.
*Poullott also currently ranks 12th for career saves with 206. She needs four to tie for 11th and five to move into the top 10.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red will return home to Schoellkopf Field for an Ivy League matchup with Dartmouth at noon. The game is part of a double-header with the men's team during which both squads will be hosting a Community and Coaches vs. Cancer charity event. Women's lacrosse will also be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The game will be simulcast on the Ivy League Digital Network and ESPN3.